BlackLight: Tango Down Brings Big Multiplayer For Small Price

Ignition Entertainment is prepping a huge new multiplayer-focused shooter to release this summer on XBLA, PSN, and PC for only $15.

We played through a couple matches of developer Zombie's fast-paced new shooter at E3 this year, and came away highly impressed with the game's polish and breadth. The low price tag is a nice bonus on an otherwise great looking title.

BlackLight has a complicated near-future story that probably won't be a big factor in why players will gravitate toward the title. A military faction called The Order has a general who has gone crazy, and the BlackLight team must stop his devious plans. To do so, they must engage in some familiar multiplayer modes, like 16-PlayerTeam Deathmatch and last Team Standing, across 12 large maps. There are seven gameplay modes in all. We're also told that there will be a few cooperative missions to tackle with up to four players.

The game has the pacing and speed of Counter-Strike, with quick deaths and furious rifle fire. Gameplay has a compelling interplay between speed and stealth,
encouraging players to act quickly but observe their surroundings
carefully. The match we played at the convention took place on a symmetrical, roughly circular urban map. The HUD is governed by a tech visor that offers all sorts of interesting info to help track down enemy movement and locate objects in the environment. We noticed right away the ability to tap a button to reveal enemy locations as they move around the board. The effect has limits on it, including the fact that it fades once you start shooting.

The tech-focused vibe of the game contributes to some of the unique weapons players will find in the game, particularly ones that negatively affect a soldier's visor display. A digi-grenade can be thrown to create a pixilated sphere that scatters a fighter's view. Likewise, an EMP-grenade can be thrown to completely wipe out the visor, turning an opposing player's display into a blue screen of death.

More conventional weapons within the game are highly customizable, emulating the millions of potential options that could appear in a game like Borderlands. Different parts of the gun can be changed out to create your ideal weapon. For instance, you can add a scope to any gun you like – even a shotgun if you're feeling particularly crazy. In addition, weapons can be outfitted with personal effects that offer special buffs to the player, like a child's charm that a soldier brings from home to remind him of his family.

Ignition and Zombie are delivering a full-fledged multiplayer experience for a low price of only $15 on console downloadable platforms and PC. The game is expected to release in the next few weeks, so we should know pretty soon exactly how the game turns out. To see the recently released video of the game in action, explore our post from earlier today.